City officers ensure retired Chief Superintendent receives forgotten medal

A retired City of London Police Chief Superintendent who spent 15 months drawing up Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation procession route, has finally received a medal owed to him 70 years ago.

Ninety-four-year-old Alan Francis received his Queen’s Coronation Medal from City of London Police Chief Superintendent Helen Isaac QPM in a surprise ceremony.

Alan had thought he was attending Bishopsgate Police to give another talk to newer recruits about his life in policing. It was during one of these sessions last year that Alan mentioned that due to an administrative error, he never received his well-earned medal in the 50s. A number of officers on hearing this, decided to right a wrong and secure Alan his medal - and have it presented to him in person.

Alan joined the police in 1950 after completing his national service in the Royal Air Force police, serving in the UK and Germany. He joined the Met, serving at the Cannon Row Police Station, Westminster.

In 1952, due to his handwriting skills, he spent 15 months measuring and helping to draw a large plan of the processional route for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. He was detached to New Scotland Yard for this operation, which involved measuring the whole route. He left policing for a brief time in 1954, but then he joined the City of London Police, serving at Cloak Lane, Snow Hill, Bishopsgate and finally Wood Street Police Station. He retired in 1978.

Alan said:

“I’m surprised and very grateful to all of the officers for applying for this medal and presenting it to me. I didn’t think about it much at the time, but over the years I’ve come to realise there are not many of these medals about and sadly not many of us who worked on the coronation still alive.

“When I went to school, I wanted to please the teachers and they were very fussy about handwriting. I could copperplate write by the time I left school and still can today. One day I went to book into the police station and there was a note requesting I went along to see an officer. They had done some research of pocket book entries and because of my handwriting I was asked to help him with the coronation plans. My daughter runs a nursery and I write the name plates. The children copy them so by the time they leave nursery they can write their name.”

Chief Superintendent Helen Isaac QPM said:

“It was a pleasure to present Alan with his Queen’s Coronation Medal after all these years and especially because of his work on ensuring the procession went to plan. I’d also like to thank all of the officers involved in researching and securing his medal.

“It is so important that we learn from the past and I know Alan’s talk really enlightened our officers to what policing was like and how we can always improve in the future."